Abstract

To understand the human system, ergonomics can be broken down into three areas: physical, cognitive and social. While most people are familiar with physical ergonomics, all three are important because they’re interrelated and all affect how well we are able to drive work forward.

There is an overlap between these three areas, particularly between social and cognitive ergonomics, which sometimes seem to blur together. Social ergonomics is also referred to as macro-ergonomics or organisational ergonomics.

This poster explores:

• relationships;
• proxemics;
• privacy; and
• territoriality.

The culture in our workplace determines everything from how we share information, to how teams should be organised, to how emotionally expressive we are at work.

Forward-thinking companies are being strategic about using the workplace to reflect and reinforce culture. When a culture is aligned with business strategy, it can support business objectives. And an understanding of social ergonomics can help you design a workplace that supports many of those priorities. This all affects wellbeing and workplace happiness.